Marijuana Could Be Huge for Treating HIV

November 29, 2017

“For too long, conducting legitimate research on the medical benefits of marijuana was all but impossible. Kept out of the hands of doctors and scientists by an overzealous DEA, pot is still classified by the federal government as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act—the strictest category available. This makes funding and access to research-grade, federally legal cannabis hard to come by; even in states where marijuana is legal, studies on the drug are still subject to approval by multiple boards, and samples must be procured from the only lab in the country approved to dispense research-grade marijuana.

Robert L Cook, professor of epidemiology at the University of Florida, recently announced he is leading a 400 person study to scrutinize marijuana’s effects on people living with HIV. The five year, $3.2 million study is believed to be the largest of its kind, and will look not only at marijuana’s impact on the brains of HIV patients, but also whether the drug is able to help suppress the virus. Cook will also account for the specific amount of marijuana consumed or inhaled by participants, as well as the amount of THC and cannabinoids in those doses—something he said other researchers haven’t been able to do.”